I always share Rumi’s quote with my clients: “Our longing is the way”.  Meaning…follow your longing.  Even if you think it has nothing to do with your j.o.b.

There is a nugget of gold there.

Here’s an inspiring example – the story of ten-year-old Maria Aragon from Winnipeg who ‘followed her longing’…. and made an impact on audiences, and a major emotional impact on a superstar.

How did Maria do it?  I think there are three steps…..

Step 1: Follow, and be proud of, your passion:

Step 2: Accept praise openly, even (especially) when it comes from superstars

Step 3: Remember all that time you spent practicing your passion (ie: following your longing)? Well, turns out it creates a pretty great path…

Easy-Car-Jack design provides an alternative to using the typical car-jack, and getting your hands, knees, and clothes dirty in the process.  His car-jack requires only one push of a button.

“Easy-Car-Jack has a tiny hole at its back that sucks air into an accordion-like balloon. The balloon…then inflates almost immediately, propping up vehicles as heavy as 1.3 tons…All you’ve got to do is press a button.”    Click here to see how it works

When I saw this product, the phrase (made famous by the Volvo YCC project) came to mind: “when you meet the expectations of women, you *exceed* the expectations of men”.

This is a marketing to women win because it hits the bulls-eye on two essential Themes of Marketing to Women:

1. Empowerment:
Because of this design, you can now jack up your own car – unassisted.  You don’t have to flag down the nearest male stranger at a time when you’re the most vulnerable: at the side of the road, without an operating car.

2. Ease of Life
Because of this design, time-pressured drivers don’t have to wait for a tow truck.  If you can jack up the car yourself, you don’t need to waste precious time waiting for someone else to help.

BUT – one big mistake the product write-up and images make, is that it alienates the huge male market.

Men will  never buy a car-jack that is promoted as “change a tire and wear four-inch heels at the same time”, or “A car-jack perfect for lady-like tire changes”.  No way, no how, will guys line up to buy it, even though it solves their problems too.

Marketing to women doesn’t have to be “PINK”.  Women don’t need to be told it’s a product “for women”.  If a product empowers them, and makes their lives easier in a practical way, women will buy it.

The smarter approach would be to promote the car-jack on its merits:  simplicity, speed, and clean hands.  Include images of both men and women using the product.   This way, you get both markets.

Now, we need a complementary design innovation to change the tire, once the car is up on the jack.  Who’s up for it?

“working hard to be your number one choice”
“leading service provider of…”
“we put customers first”
“we listen”

Do any of these sound familiar?

There are two issues with the generic claims above.  1)  Your market assumes you put clients first, and assumes you are going to listen to them. These aren’t differentiators, they are a baseline to being in business.  2)  Everyone is claiming the same thing (that’s why these phrases are so familiar!), so they don’t help you stand out from the crowd.  They are just more meaningless marketing ‘noise’.

How can your business come up with true differentiators that accurately reflect the benefits you offer, and attract your ideal clients?  You need to start by Asking the Right Questions, and Asking the Right People.

Ask the Right Questions:

Asking the right questions is about digging for your differentiators.  Digging waaaaay down.  Past the outer layer of “corporate-speak”.  Past the second layer of what you think it *should* be.  Past the third layer of what you *want* it to be.  You need to get down to the core, the bubbling source of *heat* that fuels you.  What is that?  If we were working together, I’d start with the following questions:

What’s your story? Why did you really end up in this career? What was the spark that started it all?  How does the spark continue to play out in why you’re still there?

What drives you personally – outside of your “job” – what fuels you?  How is that related to the value you bring to your clients?

What are you *for*, and what are you *against*?  How does that show up in your work? How does that manifest as a benefit for your clients?

And so on…..

Asking the Right People:

“It’s hard to see the picture when you’re inside the frame”.  You can answer the Right Questions above, but you’ll only have half the story as to how you’re differentiated.  The people ‘outside the frame’ – your ideal clients – have the other half of the story.  So, let’s interview them, and ask questions such as:

Why did you choose (your name/your company)?

Why do you stay?

What caused you to look for (your product/service)?

How is (your name) different, and why do you value that?

Finding your true differentiators is a process.  It begins with asking the right questions, and asking the right people.  This starting point will get you much closer than you ever have been, to defining your true differentiators and ensuring you stand out from the crowd to attract your ideal clients.

If you like where I’m heading with this, check out these services:

Differentiation Foundation

Differentation Presentations

1.   Thanks to Stuart Ash, for passing this one along: “Hitting the Mark” by Kristin Laird of Marketing Magazine.  Laird reports some interesting stats from Home Depot, Speedy Corporation, and others that I think are useful benchmarks.  Lots of ideas to chew on for marketing to women, some more complicated than others (I prefer the simple ideas like Home Depot’s workshops). Hitting the Mark, Marketing Magazine

2.    44% of the NFL’s fan base is women. The NFL is now kicking off a 10M campaign to market to women.  I agree with their move away from simply making clothing “smaller and pinker”, but I’m not so sure that creating team colour nail polish is the best use of their product development budget.  I could be wrong, let’s see.    What do you think? NFL Marketing to Women

3.    And… NBCU’s results of how 25 key brands are rated by women

Have a great week!

Cristi

If you are inspired to help build peace today, here are some websites you can visit:

http://plancanada.ca/

http://www.womenforwomen.org/

http://www.kiva.org/

http://www.un.org/en/events/peaceday/2010/index.shtml

Love to you all,

Cristi

PS – an interesting point I learned in Buddhist class, is that the true definition of Love, is to “wish happiness for the other being”.  What a simple and beautiful definition.

Take a quick look at the print ads, then come back to me and read the lessons below.

The lessons from the Women & Co ad campaign fall into the Four Themes I’ve been developing and teaching over the years.  If you want to do better at selling or marketing to women, these Four Themes are critical to incorporate into your sales & marketing strategies.

1) Empowerment.
Empowerment is about self-esteem, finding confidence in one’s own abilities.  Blowing the doors off of what you thought you could possibly do.  Empowerment is about power over yourself and your abilities.  Contrast that with Power  – a more masculine construct for advertising – competitive, aggressive, blowing the other guy off the road.  So, Empowerment is referring to your relationship with yourself, Power is referring to your relationship to others.

This is what the actual Women & Co service itself is built on – women’s attraction to financial services companies who empower them.  It’s a membership program designed to support, empower, and educate women on financial topics.  See how the words in their ads reflect that theme:
“(women) have their own ideas…”
“where women build financial confidence and knowledge”
“The strength of women, backed by Citi”

2) Eco-System.
Eco-system is all about leveraging women’s propensity to create and value “community” and “connection”.  How do you provide a platform for women to connect with like-minded women?   How do you leverage her Eco-System to access a broader client base?  How do you ensure your message survives transmission among her Eco-system?  How do you add value to her Eco-system?

In the Women & Co ads, you can see it’s in the words:
“You may have something in common with…”
“where wisdom, wealth, and women meet”
“Women & Co is a financial community…”

3) Essential Self.
Real people, real communication, real words.  Essential self is all about showing who you really are as a company, and allowing her to be who she really is.  Part of portraying Essential Self is in having “real people” in your advertising – whether clients or employees.  The Dove campaign is another perfect example of “Essential Self”.

In the Women & Co ads, they use images of actual women clients – not airbrushed models – that the target market can identify with.  These real women are aspirational (well-dressed, well put together), but within reach, because they are real people.

4) Ease of Life.
Instead of thinking ‘what can I sell her?’, think ‘how can I help her?’.  Women are busy, time-pressured and are looking for vendors who understand that and do something about it.

The themes of Women & Co series of ads: ‘Balancing’, ‘Running’, ‘Managing’ and ‘Learning’ theme validates the many – often competing – roles of women and the constant balancing act that women feel they live.  Women & Co connects to their hearts through these ads and seems to say “we understand” by entering the conversation that’s already going on in her head.

Now You:
How does your advertising & selling masterfully portray the essential themes of Empowerment, Eco-System, Ease of Life, and Essential Self?

If you’re not sure, call or email me to book a High Heel Audit. A High Heel Audit is the fastest and most cost-effective way to ensure your strategies & tactics are designed to target women.  Call 250-448-7975 or email cristi@majoritymarketing.com to find out how my High Heel Audits can help you.  Talk to you soon

Mark’s Work Wearhouse is known for “outfitting men with construction boots and overalls” and they’ve realized (as you have too, right?) that women are an untapped, but very lucrative market – even for a company that focuses on construction boots and overalls.

As the Globe & Mail article reports: “In it’s 4th quarter, even as the chain’s overall sales slipped almost 1 per cent, its women’s business enjoyed an 11.4 per cent lift.”

Excited yet? Me too.  Read the story here, then come back to me, as I have FIVE useful lessons that you need to use….

Now You: So, what can you take-away from this story? Glad you asked.  I’ve laid out FIVE ideas for you – which, by the way, I go over and over in my training and writing, but here’s another excuse to say it again:

1. Realize that women are different than men.

Yes, women and men are different.  Many marketers and salespeople worry that this statement is sexist.  It’s not.  Women worry about panty lines, men typically don’t.  That’s not sexist, that’s a fact to consider when finding ways to serve the market’s need.

2. Find out what drives women nuts, and make it into a business opportunity.

So, find out what drives women nuts.  But remember….you’re not going to find out by sending women pre-written multiple-choice surveys that ask what they like about the store or how satisfied were they on a scale from 1 to 5 with their service today.

You will find out the same way Mark’s did, by entering into a wide, and sometimes eclectic conversation with an advisory group of women over Perrier and cookies and not limiting the conversation to fit your perceptions about what women want, but by asking them in their lives, at every turn, what is really driving them nuts.  Panty lines? Really? Hm.  We can fix that. (for double the price of other womens’ underwear…..which leads me to lesson #3…)

3. Realize that if you can truly solve a problem that drives women nuts, they will pay a premium for a solid and true solution.

If (and I mean a big IF…no faking it!) you can truly solve the problem, women will pay premium for a good solution that works.  Mark’s didn’t hold back in charging five dollars for a pair of underwear – which is “at least twice as much as underwear at other retailers” because they knew – after speaking directly with women – that this is a compelling problem for women.  They knew if they could truly solve the problem in a quality way, that they could easily justify the price.  And they were right, as the story reports: “When the first panties appeared…..demand was so hot that the outlet couldn’t keep them in stock.”

4. Remove barriers that will conflict with your efforts to woo women shoppers

If the name of your store is Mark’s Work Wearhouse, and you’re known for construction boots and overalls, yes, you might want to think about re-branding.  Mark’s Work Wearhouse figured that out, and is now changing their name to simply “Mark’s” in a pilot test to start.

5.   And last, but not least – even if you are in a super, super, super (did I say super enough?) male-dominated market, think women.  Harley Davidson did it.  Home Depot did it, and now Mark’s Work Wearhouse is doing it.  Are you?

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Stumped on your Marketing and Selling to Women plan? Book a High Heel Audit with me today, and get unstuck!  Email:  cristi@majoritymarketing.com or call 250-448-7975.

This article has some sales questions that work well with female clients (scroll down near the bottom).  I wanted to share it with you, as I’m always teaching the “right” and “wrong” sales questions to ask your female clients.  I want to give you many ways to think about it, so you can find ways that work for you and your clients.

I often refer to (my favourite and yours…) Deborah Tannen PhD‘s research on “report” vs “rapport” language style.  This article provides another angle -  shifting from fear/lack-based questions into Empowering questions.  I’m not sure if that’s what the salesperson realizes she is doing, but it’s what I see.

Take a look near the bottom of the article, where Lori Claxton (financial advisor) provides examples of questions she asks clients, like : “If you knew you were going to get cancer in the next six months, what would you like things to look like?”  This is a great question, because it highlights Empowerment, instead of fear – it’s about what the client wants, not what she doesn’t want.   So, in that respect, it is quite different from the typical question asked: “If you got sick do you have the financial means to support yourself?”, that seem to instill a sense of fear, rather than empowerment.

Now You:  Take a look at your sales script.  Do you see any questions that create a sense of fear or doubt in the client?  See if you can make changes to those questions, to have them instill a sense of Empowerment.

Let me know how it goes, or if you need help with this, post your questions here.

Here are 5 great gifts for women clients, family, or friends who love the concept of empowering women and girls across the globe. (ps – these are also great gifts for men who are interested in empowering women!).  You can buy these gifts online right now, and they are “delivered” immediately as donations to women charities, or registrations for upcoming women’s events.

3 Organizations dedicated to Empowering Women & Girls (just go online and donate in her name, or on behalf of a client/client list):
www.womenforwomen.org – helping women survivors of war rebuild their lives
www.kiva.org – loans that change lives
www.girleffect.org – created by the Nike Foundation to educate & empower women and girls in developing countries

2 Networking Events for Professional Women (go online and pay/register for an upcoming event…assuming you know she’ll be available to attend that day):
www.womenofinfluence.ca – professional women luncheon speaker series; events held in 9 major cities in Canada
www.wxnetwork.com – professional women luncheon/breakfast speaker series; events held in 7 major cities in Canada

I get so excited when I think of how meaningful these gifts are, and what an amazing message of support they send to the women in your life!

Happy Shopping and Happy Holidays!!

PS: if you are donating on behalf of clients, remember to send an email to let them know that in lieu of gifts/cards, you are donating to (XYZ) charity.  Be sure to include the link to the organization, so they can check it out.

To Illustrate: In “Try Easier”, Mack tells the story of a track coach who “instructed his runners to run 800 meters as fast as they could. Later, the coach had them run the same distance, at only 90 percent of top speed. What surprised the runners, is that their times were better when they ran at 90 percent, than when they went all out.”. Mack explains…. “giving 90 percent effort, runners expend a lot of muscular energy but they relax the antagonist muscles that hinder maximum performance.” He continues….”When Ken Griffey Jr steps up to the plate, he doesn’t grind his bat handle into sawdust….the source of his power isn’t brute strength, but rather leverage, flexibility, and range of motion.”

And so it is in selling and marketing to women. I see many salespeople (men and women) get too wound up when planning how to market and sell to women….they wonder if they have to redesign every marketing material and paint them pink, if they should replace all sales scripts with probing questions that ask women about their “feelings”, if they should hold “spa days” instead of the annual golf tournament….what is the ‘right’ way, Cristi? they ask, with pained looks on their faces. By “trying harder”, they run the risk of “trying too hard” and alienating women, similar to what Dell computers did recently, which ended in a pretty big disaster and a fast redo of their strategy. So, although details are important, if you’re “trying too hard”, you might want to consider winning the race by “trying easier”.

An example: My friend Jennifer recently returned from a salmon fishing trip with her dad and two brothers. Each year, the boys go to an exclusive lodge off the west coast of BC for 4 days of fishing with a private guide, and to socialize with other fishing enthusiasts from all over the world. Jen was thrilled about a four-day bonding experience of being ‘one of the boys’. Jenn knew she could play at their level, and she did, catching the biggest Coho salmon of the week! At the end of every guest week, the lodge hosts an awards dinner for “Biggest Catch”. After watching the other guests (all guys) receive their trophies and $100 lodge gift store certificates, Jen was picturing the spot on her mantle for her “Biggest Coho” trophy, and the new fishing supplies she would buy with her gift certificate. However, when her name was called, and she bounded to the front of the room to get her trophy, the lodge manager announced into the microphone (in these exact words) “Well, because of the gender issue, we didn’t know what to get you. So…we got you this serving platter”. Not wanting to make a scene, Jen smiled through her gritted her teeth and sat back down to her brother’s joke….“Well sis, that platter is for you to serve the menfolk the fish you caught”. In this case, the lodge made the critical mistake of “trying too hard” to accommodate women, and made her into an “issue”, instead of making her feel welcome and equal.

Some readers may think the fishing lodge intended to insult its female guest by giving her a serving platter, but I doubt it. This is a case of the lodge ‘trying too hard’ to paint it pink. instead of accommodating, they actually alienated their female client.

Now You: Are you so focussed on ‘winning’ in the women’s market, that you forget to relax, breathe, and listen to what women really want? Are you trying “too hard” and alienating women by going overboard, or are you simply evaluating what you can adjust, to ensure you have considered women’s needs? Do you see the women’s market as a “gender issue” or a segment that holds huge opportunity?

PS – the fishing industry might want to put a more effort into understanding what women want…according to the American Sportfishing Association, 25% of anglers are women, and women are one of the key markets driving the increase in industry sales.